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Not all baseball stadiums are created equal. The dimensions of the outfield, quantity of foul ground, heights of boundary walls and inclusion or absence of batter's eyes in the outfield play parts in the physical makeup of a ballpark. Likewise, altitude and humidity can have drastic effects on statistics for hitters and pitchers alike.

So, next time you're looking at a prospect's stats, consider the context in which they were accumulated. Especially at the extremes, ballpark context can make a massive difference in how a player's stats reflect actual performance.

Here's a look at the average number of runs per game for 21 leagues between 2008 and 2012.

But just as there are quirky dimensions and thin-air ballparks across pro ball, the way runs have been scored is also different. Statistically, there were 4.3 runs scored per game in the National League and Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. But while you're likely to see more extra-base hits at a Major League game, a greater percentage of those same 4.3 runs in the GCL have come via walks and errors.

To complement the bar chart above, here's a look at the run environment of those 21 leagues over the same five-year span.

OFFENSIVE STATISTICS BY LEAGUE, 2008-2012

League

Class

R/G

AVG

OBP

SLG

OPS

HR%

NIBB%

FLD%

American

Majors

4.6

.261

.328

.415

.743

3.0

8.8

.984

National

Majors

4.3

.256

.324

.403

.727

2.8

8.7

.984

International

Triple-A

4.4

.261

.329

.399

.729

2.4

9.1

.979

Mexican

Triple-A

5.3

.294

.366

.432

.798

2.5

9.8

.977

Pacific Coast

Triple-A

5.2

.278

.348

.434

.782

2.8

9.8

.978

Eastern

Double-A

4.5

.260

.332

.395

.727

2.3

9.6

.977

Southern

Double-A

4.5

.260

.337

.389

.726

2.1

10.3

.975

Texas

Double-A

4.7

.264

.336

.398

.734

2.4

9.6

.975

California

Class A Adv.

5.3

.274

.343

.422

.765

2.5

9.4

.971

Carolina

Class A Adv.

4.5

.256

.328

.387

.715

2.0

9.3

.972

Florida State

Class A Adv.

4.2

.256

.326

.372

.699

1.7

9.1

.973

Midwest

Class A

4.5

.254

.327

.376

.703

1.8

9.5

.969

South Atlantic

Class A

4.6

.257

.327

.380

.707

1.9

9.1

.968

New York-Penn

Short-Season

4.4

.248

.323

.355

.679

1.4

9.7

.966

Northwest

Short-Season

4.7

.255

.336

.368

.704

1.6

10.4

.966

Appalachian

Rookie

4.9

.258

.329

.388

.717

2.0

8.9

.961

Pioneer

Rookie

5.7

.276

.349

.422

.770

2.3

9.7

.961

Arizona

Rookie

5.6

.265

.342

.385

.727

1.3

10.1

.954

Golf Coast

Rookie

4.3

.246

.323

.347

.670

1.2

9.6

.961

Dominican Summer

Rookie

4.7

.239

.338

.323

.661

0.8

12.4

.951

Venezuelan Summer

Rookie

4.8

.262

.345

.363

.708

1.3

10.0

.955

A greater percentage of hits went for home runs at the highest level, as evidenced by the fact that over the past five years the American and National Leagues have ranked first and tied for second respectively in home run percentage.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, pitcher command has been worse at a younger age and a lower level. Four of the five leagues with the worst non-intentional walk rate were Class A Short-Season or Rookie-level leagues. Similarly, fielding percentage correlated directly with level.

Looking at specific Minor League classifications, there were differences between levels and often significant ones within levels.

At Triple-A, the PCL has been much more of a hitters' league than the International League. This was fueled by a higher batting averages as well as greater walk and home run rates. Stadiums such as the hitter-friendly Isotopes Park (Albuquerque), Aces Ballpark (Reno) and Security Service Field (Colorado Springs) were big contributors to those numbers.

By contrast, the three Double-A leagues were among the most balanced of any classification. Separated by just 0.2 runs per game, the Eastern, Southern and Texas Leagues sported similar batting averages, on-base percentages and slugging percentages.

At the other end of the spectrum, Class A Advanced remained one of the most unbalanced levels in professional baseball as the California League continued to live up to its reputation as a hitters' haven. Stats across the board (batting average, OBP, OPS, walks and home run rate) were higher than in the Carolina League -- generally a neutral environment -- and the Florida State League -- a notorious pitchers league which boasted the fewest runs/game and the only full-season league with a five-year OPS below .700.

Further down the chain stand the two evenly balanced, mostly neutral Class A leagues and a pair of short-season leagues which featured more walks, more errors and fewer homers.

At the lowest level -- Rookie ball -- were extreme hitters environments (Pioneer and Arizona Leagues) and stingy pitchers leagues (Gulf Coast and Dominican Summer Leagues). The GCL and DSL featured the two lowest five-year batting averages and home run rates as well as the two highest walk rates and fielding percentages.

Here's an in-depth look at the park factors for each of the full-season stadiums since 2010. Where a club has relocated or changed leagues, two parks between the three years were listed. The table looked at three counting stats -- runs, home runs and hits -- and used a formula to help compare one park from another.

((Runs scored at home + runs allowed at home)/(Home games)) / ((Runs scored on the road + runs allowed on the road)/(Road games))

Note: A park factor of 1.000 is considered neutral and represented an equal number of runs/homers/hits at home as on the road. A factor over 1.000 favors hitters, while a factor under 1.000 favors pitchers.

Triple-A

International League

Stadium

Team

R

HR

H

Huntington Park

Columbus Clippers

1.283

1.712

1.121

Alliance Bank Stadium

Syracuse Chiefs

1.051

1.003

1.038

Coca-Cola Field

Buffalo Bisons

1.043

1.013

0.962

Coolray Field

Gwinnett Braves

1.038

0.833

1.029

Frontier Field

Rochester Red Wings

1.035

1.091

1.010

Durham Bulls Athletic Park

Durham Bulls

1.025

1.205

1.033

Victory Field

Indianapolis Indians

0.995

0.897

1.026

Knights Stadium

Charlotte Knights

0.988

1.159

0.995

Harbor Park

Norfolk Tides

0.977

0.796

1.003

Louisville Slugger Field

Louisville Bats

0.971

0.846

0.989

Coca-Cola Park

Lehigh Valley IronPigs

0.941

0.959

0.960

McCoy Stadium

Pawtucket Red Sox

0.925

1.087

0.964

Fifth Third Field

Toledo Mud Hens

0.917

0.830

0.947

PNC Field (2010-'11)

SWB RailRiders

0.842

0.816

0.917

Pacific Coast League

Stadium

Team

R

HR

H

Isotopes Park

Albuquerque Isotopes

1.453

1.552

1.254

Aces Ballpark

Reno Aces

1.316

1.160

1.174

Security Service Field

Colorado Springs Sky Sox

1.266

1.115

1.171

Cashman Field

Las Vegas 51s

1.189

1.150

1.107

Spring Mobile Ballpark

Salt Lake Bees

1.145

1.025

1.070

Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium (2011-12)

Tucson Padres

1.103

0.990

1.100

Dell Diamond

Round Rock Express

0.986

1.065

1.002

Herschel Greer Stadium

Nashville Sounds

0.980

1.035

0.958

Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark

Oklahoma City RedHawks

0.978

0.767

0.999

Werner Park (2011-12)

Omaha Storm Chasers

0.978

1.093

0.980

Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium (2010)

Omaha Royals

0.937

0.936

0.981

Chukchansi Park

Fresno Grizzlies

0.933

1.129

0.947

AutoZone Park

Memphis Redbirds

0.862

0.964

0.911

Principal Park

Iowa Cubs

0.834

0.774

0.916

Cheney Stadium

Tacoma Rainiers

0.777

0.990

0.849

Zephyr Field

New Orleans Zephyrs

0.771

0.842

0.883

Raley Field

Sacramento River Cats

0.745

0.752

0.826

PGE Park (2010)

Portland Beavers

0.694

0.678

0.797

If the PCL is one of the most hitter-friendly leagues in the Minors, then Isotopes Park and Aces Ballpark must be the poster candidates for high-scoring, big-hitting, Triple-A launching pads. Security Service Field, at 6,531 feet above sea level, may have ranked first in the past, but a humidor installed in 2012 has limited the offense slightly.

But just how advantageous were these parks -- and the league as a whole -- for hitters?

Reno's Adam Eaton won the 2012 PCL batting title with a .381 average, teammate Ryan Wheeler finished second with a .351 mark, and five of the top 10 hitters -- including Albuquerque's Scott Van Slyke, who finished 10th with a .327 average -- played for the Isotopes or the Aces. In the IL, Gwinnett's Jose Constanza won the batting title with a .314 average, and only six hitters finished with an average north of .300.

In the PCL, strikeout leader John Ely of the Isotopes had the lowest ERA (3.20), and only seven qualifying pitchers posted a sub-4.00 mark. Back in the IL, Lehigh Valley's Tyler Cloyd went 12-1 with a league-best 2.35 ERA, and the top 21 pitchers by ERA all had marks below 4.00.

Columbus' Huntington Park -- which saw a total of 179 homers in 2012, a Triple-A best and second only to High Desert in the Minors -- can be considered the lone extreme hitters park in the International League.

Perspectives:
Toledo's Daniel Dorn batted .252 with 14 homers and 49 RBIs in 116 IL games in 2012. With 50 walks and 41 extra-base hits, Dorn posted a .344 on-base percentage, .777 OPS and tied for a team-best 170 total bases. His offensive numbers were around 2012 league averages, but it's worth noting that Fifth Third Field has regularly been one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in one of the most pitcher-friendly leagues.

Spare a thought for Dorn, drafted by the Reds in 2006 before being signed by the Tigers as a Minor League free agent last summer. Before playing in Toledo, he spent three-and-a-half years in the Bats infield. Louisville Slugger Field has been another notoriously difficult park for hitters.

Perspectives:
Considering there were a total of 594 homers at Isotopes Park over the past three years, Ely's 2012 campaign was better than the numbers suggest. He went 14-7 with 36 walks in 168 2/3 innings. His substantial ERA drop with Albuquerque (from 6.22 in 2010 and 5.99 in 2011) can be attributed to a career-low opponents' batting average (.238) and career-high strikeouts (165), something vital when you pitch in a park where even the most routine fly ball has a chance of leaving the yard. Ely's 2012 home ERA of 2.76 was actually better than his 3.72 road mark

Double-A

Texas League

Stadium

Team

R

HR

H

Arvest Ballpark

Northwest Arkansas Naturals

1.261

1.203

1.154

Whataburger Field

Corpus Christi Hooks

1.051

1.192

1.015

Citibank Ballpark

Midland RockHounds

1.042

0.695

1.105

Hammons Field

Springfield Cardinals

1.036

1.431

1.012

ONEOK Field

Tulsa Drillers

0.993

1.136

0.966

Dr Pepper Ballpark

Frisco RoughRiders

0.986

1.380

0.941

Wolff Stadium

San Antonio Missions

0.859

0.696

0.940

Dickey-Stephens Park

Arkansas Travelers

0.818

0.522

0.888

Eastern League

Stadium

Team

R

HR

H

Jerry Uht Park

Erie SeaWolves

1.122

1.522

1.068

Hadlock Field

Portland Sea Dogs

1.122

1.099

1.086

Metro Bank Park

Harrisburg Senators

1.053

1.164

1.039

FirstEnergy Stadium

Reading Fightin Phils

1.004

1.449

0.955

The Diamond

Richmond Flying Squirrels

1.000

0.942

1.002

NYSEG Stadium

Binghamton Mets

0.995

1.019

0.990

New Britain Stadium

New Britain Rock Cats

0.986

0.723

0.983

Northeast Delta Dental Stadium

New Hampshire Fisher Cats

0.976

1.011

0.968

Prince George's Stadium

Bowie Baysox

0.962

1.125

0.955

Canal Park

Akron Aeros

0.955

0.720

0.994

Peoples Natural Gas Field

Altoona Curve

0.943

0.692

0.996

Mercer County Waterfront Park

Trenton Thunder

0.913

0.763

0.968

Southern League

Stadium

Team

R

HR

H

Smokies Park

Tennessee Smokies

1.154

1.299

1.075

Joe W. Davis Stadium

Huntsville Stars

1.121

1.346

1.006

AT&T Field

Chattanooga Lookouts

1.077

0.920

1.034

Pensacola Bayfront Stadium (2012)

Pensacola Blue Wahoos (2012)

1.069

1.689

0.975

Generals Park (2011-12)/Pringles Park (2010)

Jackson Generals (2011-12), West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (2010)

1.068

0.945

1.017

Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium

Montgomery Biscuits

0.998

1.217

1.047

Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville

Jacksonville Suns

0.969

1.043

0.961

Hank Aaron Stadium

Mobile Bay Bears

0.961

1.119

1.015

Five County Stadium

Carolina Mudcats (2010-'11)

0.873

0.898

0.900

Trustmark Park

Mississippi Braves

0.872

0.623

0.952

Regions Park

Birmingham Barons

0.836

0.515

0.910

Double-A parks have played fairly consistent across the board over the past few years. Sure, Erie's Jerry Uht Park inflated hitting stats and Arkansas' Dickey-Stephens Park was a place where deep fly balls went to die, but there aren't the same extremes that you'll find in the PCL or Cal League.

Among the parks that played big was Birmingham's Regions Park. At 340 feet down the lines, 385 in the power alleys and 405 to center, the dimensions are not that unusual. But the Barons (and their opponents) hit a combined 162 homers at Regions Park between 2010-12, compared with 330 in the same number of games on the road. The club will open the brand-new Regions Field in April.

Perspectives:
Andy Wilkins led the Barons with 17 homers in 2012, but only three were hit at home. His 69 RBIs also were a team high, despite 51 coming on the road. He hit .201 with a .314 slugging percentage in 57 home games, but .273 with a .524 SLG in 59 games away from Birmingham.

Perspectives:
Southern League hurlers were among the most affected by the introduction of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in 2012. Five County Stadium -- the home of the Carolina Mudcats, who moved to the Carolina League last year -- was historically a pitchers park. By contrast, Pensacola's Bayfront Stadium proved to favor home run hitters in its inaugural season with a league-high 120 longballs.

For example, J.C. Sulbaran surrendered 10 homers in 137 hitter-friendly Cal League innings in 2011. In 19 starts and 104 2/3 innings with Pensacola in 12, he allowed 17 en route to a league-worst 24 between the Blue Wahoos and Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

Class A Advanced

California State League

Stadium

Team

R

HR

H

Stater Bros. Stadium

High Desert Mavericks

1.458

1.769

1.248

The Hangar

Lancaster JetHawks

1.321

1.493

1.159

Sam Lynn Ballpark

Bakersfield Blaze

1.050

1.273

1.023

Recreation Ballpark

Visalia Rawhide

1.034

1.121

0.988

Banner Island Ballpark

Stockton Ports

0.952

1.292

0.911

Rancho Cucamonga Epicenter

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

0.899

0.874

0.967

John Thurman Field

Modesto Nuts

0.890

0.508

0.962

Lake Elsinore Diamond

Lake Elsinore Storm

0.875

0.579

0.930

San Jose Municipal Stadium

San Jose Giants

0.844

0.854

0.917

San Manuel Stadium

Inland Empire 66ers

0.793

0.552

0.920

Carolina League

Stadium

Team

R

HR

H

BB&T Ballpark

Winston-Salem Dash

1.113

1.189

1.061

Five County Stadium (2012)

Carolina Mudcats

1.060

0.851

1.085

G. Richards Pfitzner Stadium

Potomac Nationals

1.050

1.053

1.027

TicketReturn.com Field

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

1.009

0.907

0.995

Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium

Salem Red Sox

1.007

0.843

1.030

Harry Grove Stadium

Frederick Keys

1.002

1.689

0.967

Calvin Falwell Field

Lynchburg Hillcats

0.984

0.995

1.026

Grainger Stadium (2010-'11)

Kinston Indians

0.956

1.011

0.941

Daniel S. Frawley Stadium

Wilmington Blue Rocks

0.855

0.594

0.905

Florida State League

Stadium

Team

R

HR

H

McKechnie Field

Bradenton Marauders

1.220

1.566

1.079

Tradition Field

St. Lucie Mets

1.195

1.200

1.105

Florida Auto Exchange Stadium

Dunedin Blue Jays

1.102

1.239

1.021

Bright House Field

Clearwater Threshers

1.086

1.477

1.023

Jackie Robinson Ballpark

Daytona Cubs

1.028

1.237

0.992

George M. Steinbrenner Field

Tampa Yankees

1.002

0.684

1.028

Charlotte Sports Park

Charlotte Stone Crabs

0.971

1.253

0.963

Joker Marchant Stadium

Lakeland Flying Tigers

0.946

0.857

0.999

Hammond Stadium

Fort Myers Miracle

0.940

0.897

0.983

Roger Dean Stadium

Jupiter Hammerheads

0.919

0.619

0.979

Roger Dean Stadium

Palm Beach Cardinals

0.866

0.747

0.936

Space Coast Stadium

Brevard County Manatees

0.819

0.715

0.913

Nowhere in the Minors was there a bigger difference between leagues within the same classification. The Cal League boasted the greatest number of runs per game of any full-season league; the Florida State League ranked dead last, more than a full run behind.

High Desert's Stater Bros. Stadium topped the list for the most hitter-friendly home ballpark. When you consider the number of runs and homers at home, compared with the road, the Mavs' yard ranked No. 1 in pro ball. It also stood second (behind Isotopes Park for total hits).

Located in the middle of the desert in Adelanto, Calif., Stater Bros. Stadium has seen 604 homers in three years, 65 percent more than the 367 hit on the road in the same three-year span.

Perspectives:
Considering his home ballpark as well as the nature of the Florida State League, Brewers third baseman Mike Walker put together an impressive season in 2012. He hit .280 with 12 homers, tied for the team lead, and 75 RBIs, a Manatees high. His 54 walks led to a .361 on-base percentage and his final slugging percentage of .415 ranked first among regulars.

Deceptively, his average ranked 118th among all Class A Advanced hitters, while his 12 homers tied for 128th. But against the league averages -- .255 average, .326 OBP and .373 slugging percentage -- it's easy to see Walker's real value in a tough hitters environment. Expect a jump in production if he sees time in Huntsville in 2013.

Class A

Midwest League

Stadium

Team

R

HR

H

Community Field

Burlington Bees

1.129

1.145

1.038

Veterans Memorial Stadium

Cedar Rapids Kernels

1.119

1.317

1.074

Cooley Law School Stadium

Lansing Lugnuts

1.108

0.808

1.063

Parkview Field

Fort Wayne Tincaps

1.083

1.106

1.062

Fifth Third Ballpark

West Michigan Whitecaps

1.020

0.740

1.053

Classic Park

Lake County Captains

1.014

1.501

0.969

Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

1.014

1.142

1.016

Coveleski Stadium

South Bend Silver Hawks

1.005

0.817

0.989

Modern Woodmen Park

Quad Cities River Bandits

0.991

0.903

0.963

Fifth Third Field

Dayton Dragons

0.991

1.134

0.996

Ashford University Field

Clinton LumberKings

0.976

0.741

0.977

Fifth Third Bank Ballpark

Kane County Cougars

0.955

0.812

1.000

Dow Diamond

Great Lakes Loons

0.950

0.873

0.985

Harry C. Pohlman Field

Beloit Snappers

0.935

1.154

0.964

O'Brien Field

Peoria Chiefs

0.935

0.926

0.979

Bowling Green Ballpark

Bowling Green Hot Rods

0.853

1.178

0.899

South Atlantic League

Stadium

Team

R

HR

H

McCormick Field

Asheville Tourists

1.359

1.602

1.186

State Mutual Stadium

Rome Braves

1.107

0.724

1.073

L.P. Frans Stadium

Hickory Crawdads

1.089

1.447

1.059

CMC-NorthEast Stadium

Kannapolis Intimidators

1.068

0.828

1.018

Appalachian Power Park

West Virginia Power

1.065

1.154

1.024

Municipal Stadium

Hagerstown Suns

1.042

1.151

1.012

Fluor Field at the West End

Greenville Drive

1.024

1.161

1.026

Arthur W. Perdue Stadium

Delmarva Shorebirds

0.920

0.784

0.963

Whitaker Bank Ballpark

Lexington Legends

0.919

1.168

0.928

Lake Olmstead Stadium

Augusta GreenJackets

0.858

0.617

0.956

NewBridge Bank Park

Greensboro Grasshoppers

0.858

1.425

1.094

Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park

Charleston RiverDogs

0.858

0.775

0.932

First Energy Park

Lakewood Blue Claws

0.850

0.518

0.911

Grayson Stadium

Savannah Sand Gnats

0.765

0.480

0.857

Two average leagues in terms of run production, the Midwest and South Atlantic Leagues have been notable for extremes and exceptions.

In the Sally League for example, the difference between hitter-friendly McCormick Field (Asheville) and pitcher-friendly Grayson Stadium (Savannah) was 1,137 hits, 1,096 runs and 398 homers in just three years.

One quirk of the classification was that though Greensboro's NewBridge Bank Park favored batters in terms of hits and homers, it actually produced a below-average number of runs. Another was that Lansing's Cooley Law School Stadium produced an above-average number of hits and runs, but a below-average number of homers. The odd dimensions -- 412 feet to center, 305 down the lines -- have been attributed to squeezing the stadium in between two parallel city streets.

Perspectives:
Tip your cap to Asheville's Tyler Anderson -- the Rockies' No. 6 prospect. He led the Tourists to a Sally-best 88-52 record while ranking first with a 2.47 ERA and third with 12 wins. The secret to his success? A league-best .232 opponents average against and 2.09 walks per nine innings produced a stingy 1.08 WHIP, which ranked second only to Augusta's Clayton Blackburn. Away from the bandbox of McCormick Field, Anderson went 7-2 with a 1.83 ERA.

Ashley Marshall is a contributor to MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AshMarshallMLB. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.